Agree with many already listed, but I’d pick Blood Simple. Pure noir, for one thing, unlike many of the above choices.
i believe “dead again” to be one of the most perfect movies. it has noir parts.
How about Bound?
Excellent suggestions! *Dead Again *and *Bound *are among my favorites.
David Lynch’s Blue Velvet.
Another vote for Miller’s Crossing.
As for Quentin Tarantino’s ouvre, I nominate Reservoir Dogs. Pulp Fiction . . . is dark but not really noir. Film noir is characterized by villains who are not so much evil or greedy as sick.
To Live and Die In L.A.
The Usual Suspects
Blood Simple
The Killer
The Cooler is a fine, noirish film.
Brick and Blue Velvet are the cream of the crop.
I liked that, too. Another that comes to mind is A Perfect Murder, with Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Viggo Mortensen, and David Suchet. It’s a great updating of Dial M for Murder.
Technically, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a satire of classic noir (specifically Raymond Chandler–each of the chapters is named after a Chandler novel, and the plot and sensibility is very reminiscent of Chandler’s writing). The same could be said of The Big Lebowski (which is largely a riff on The Big Sleep).
A lot of good suggestions have been advanced. I’d point at Stephen Frears The Hit, Mamet’s The Spanish Prisoner, and the little-seen The Lookout as excellent examples of neo-noir.
Stranger
Stormy Monday
Night Moves (1975)
Internal Affairs
Q and A
Trouble In Mind
Miami Blues
Don’t overlook Jackie Brown.
I think some of these suggestions don’t qualify as film noir. To me, a key factor in the genre is the lack of redemption - if the characters end up better than they started out, it’s not film noir. So Miller’s Crossing is noir but Pulp Fiction is not.
so LA Confidential is not?
By that logic, Gilda ain’t film noir. Which means that probably ain’t the definition.
Interesting question. In the novel, there is no redemption for anyone, and no one even seeks it. The redemption is a Hollywood addition, but it can still be argued that there’s none or very little redemption when all is said and done. Bud ends up alive, but all we know is that he was feelin’ kinda bad about being the Captain’s muscle. Hollywood Jack ends up dead. And Exley realizes LAPD needs a hero, and even though he tells the truth to the suits about what really happens, he’s willing to help them bury it all in exchange for a sweet deal for himself.
I was gonna come in and say the best was LA Confidential without question, but there are quite a few other outstanding choices mentioned here that I had forgotten. I would second nominations for:
To Live and Die in LA
Chinatown
Reservoir Dogs
A Simple Plan
Blade Runner
Devil in a Blue Dress
As long as you understand that’s just your personal take. I think the style elements are more important to defining the genre. Shadows, music, downbeat vibe.
Delusion (1991).
Blade Runner (1982)
True Romance (1993)
Red Rock West (1993)
Fargo (1996)
Gattaca (1997)
A Simple Plan (1998)
I thought of movies like Goodfellas (1990) and Casino (1995), but those are more mafia/crime movies than “sad people make bad choices in dreary settings” noir.
Blue Velvet isn’t the only Lynch work that should make this list. I’d include Mulholland Drive. I haven’t seen Lost Highway, but it’s widely considered to be noir as well. And although the OP requested films, Twin Peaks would also fit the category.